Henry has been with us since May of 2012 and is a dedicated member of the 6:30am class. The effort he puts in every day is impressive and consistent. He always arrives with a smile and despite the outside temperature we have yet to see him without his trademark blue hoodie! Henry continues to improve and is a constant inspiration to the other members around him. Not only does he inspire the members, but is an inspiration to all of us as coaches!

Here is what Henry has to say…

Growing up in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn during the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s I had to be physically and mentally fit in order to survive; specifically, I learned to run fast. This self-motivation formed the basis of who I am today and it served me well during my years in with the army rangers and later when I served in Iraq.

As far as maintaining my physical well-being, the decades following the ‘80’s was an uninspiring hodge-podge gyms and dead-end workout programs. I knew that with 2 active boys at home I needed to find a well-structured, effective, but varied program.

It wasn’t until April of 2012 when I read about Crossfit in the NY Post that I became intrigued. Surprisingly, I found that such a place existed in Kingston less than 2 miles from my work! I was offered two free trials and I was hooked. The workouts at Crossfit are mentally and physically challenging, my morning ‘family’ encourage me – as I do them, and the instructors correct my technique and push me to do more. Proof of that has been that since I’ve been with CF Ulster I’ve worn out 2 pairs of sneakers and a hoodie. Usually I wear out a pair of sneakers every 3 years or so and a hoodie every 5 years. (I’m due for a new hoodie soon.) Whereas I may be past my prime now, I’m glad I can still hang with the younger guys and gals. I have finally found a home in Crossfit….now if they would play more ‘70’s Classic Rock music it would be THE perfect gym.

]]>http://www.crossfitulster.com/training-week-of-april-7th-2014/feed/0Training Week Of March 31, 2014http://www.crossfitulster.com/training-week-of-march-31-2014/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=training-week-of-march-31-2014
http://www.crossfitulster.com/training-week-of-march-31-2014/#respondMon, 31 Mar 2014 00:01:43 +0000http://www.crossfitulster.com/?p=5152We are going into an 8 week phase. There will be lots of strength/structural work. In the beginning, volume will be high and taper off towards the end of the 8 weeks. Recovery will be critical in order for you to be successful. A simple way to do this is for every hour of training you do, you need to do an hour of recovery. It is recommended that you are on a foam roller 2-3 times a day paying special attention to the shoulders and hips. Don’t be afraid of the box of lacrosse balls, it will pay off. Look into other forms of recovery too, yoga, massage, acupuncture, ect. Try and be consistent with your nutrition, this will be the NUMBER #1 factor in how well you do over the next 8 weeks. We will be taking progress photos Monday and Tuesday and again at the end of the 8 weeks.

Bob has been a member since December 20th of 2012. When Bob first came we had to modify several movements due to some mobility limitations. Bob recognized this was a limiting factor and he addresses it every day. He participated in several yoga work shops and is always seen spending time before and after his workouts rolling out and performing mobility movements. We as coaches can’t express how important this is, and how much it shows he is dedicated to improving himself by doing this on his own. In most cases people want to do the things they are good at rather than spend time improving imbalances or weaker movements. This in time just leads to greater discrepancies and increases the risk of injury. Bob is aware of this and understands the importance of quality movements over a “just get it done” approach.

Bob works out on most days with his daughter Erin (who will be showcased in member of the month sometime in the near future if she keeps up her impressive training). They are always pushing each other to work harder. Now, they are both very competitive and it is very clear when they train together. Erin is in amazing shape and it is very rare when someone is able to beat her on a workout. To Bob’s credit, he beat her on a workout on Friday (sorry Erin – had to get that in here) and it was a conditioning workout which makes it more impressive. Bob loves the musical artist “Pitbull.” Yeah, who would have thought? He can be seen mid workout pumping his hand in the air when we choose Pitbull radio on Pandora. As he is pumping his hand, Erin is rolling her eyes – just your typical father-daughter relationship at it’s best!

Here is what Bob had to say:

“I have been a competitor my entire life and in the recent years I had lost this aspect of my fitness and was looking for something new and exciting. This led me to trying crossfit last December and since then I have no desire to ever look for a new gym again. In this time I have lost 40lbs both from crossfit and the paleo lifestyle that I learned about from the coaches at crossfit ulster. My cholesterol and blood pressure have both decreased greatly and my overall health has improved tremendously.
Besides feeling much better health wise my flexibility and overall physical strength has also increased. Through learning the proper technique and focusing much more time on my cardio and post workout stretching I am recovering faster each week and feel more rested everyday when I come into the gym.
Not only do I like how crossfit has made me feel better physically but I also thoroughly enjoy the variation of the workouts each day, how I have never once repeated a workout in all the months that I have been a member and how each day pushes you to outwork yourself and beat the clock. This motivation is made possible by the great staff and environment at Crossfit Ulster. Not only do the coaches know more about technique than anyone at any previous gym I’ve been at, but they create a competitive atmosphere that can’t be recreated anywhere else. Crossfit Ulster has made me the healthiest I have ever been in my entire life!”

Once again, congratulations Bob – and we expect there to be more triumphs over Erin in your future!